Teen Titans Evolution
by Evilness321
Summary: Luna Star used to live in Gotham City, however she was forced to flee to Jump City. And there, she meets the Teen Titans, as well as a few other faces along her journey to escape Slade and Navare
1. Prologue

**Teen Titans- Evolution**

**Act Zero: To Leave Gotham City **

(Author's notes-

Please keep in mind that this is the prelude to my fan fiction, how my main character's situation got to a point where she had to leave Gotham City. The Teen Titans will come in after this chapter!)

Living in Gotham City wasn't ever easy or hard for normal citizens, but growing up in it was rather difficult. Especially if you were like Catherine Torean. While she attended Gotham City High like a regular girl, she was far from regular. It was her greatest fear that someone would find out about her secret, apart from her parents. She had waist length chocolate brown hair, emerald green eyes, and loved the colors purple, gold and black. Her skin was a healthy peach, with a light tan. She wore a purple, slightly baggy sweater, dark blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. Her nick name was Luna Starr, because she was often caught staring at the moon at night, and her room was decorated with crescent moons and stars. She usually could be seen reading an astronomy book, or books about Moon lore.

One day after she turned seventeen, her life changed forever. On her way to school with her friends Akima- a girl with middle-of-the-back length crimson hair that was so curly she looked like she had a perm, and the same green eyes that she had- and Vivian- a girl with short shoulder length blond hair and brilliant blue eyes, there was an attack. Akima wore a green shirt with blue jeans and black shoes while Vivian wore a flowery blouse, black jeans and black shoes. A large explosion ripped through the road, and the three friends were flung backwards. Vivian and Akima were both knocked out by the blast and impact on the wall while Catherine had a nasty headache from it. She looked up and saw a man feared by Gotham City. He had short neon green hair, and a face painted like a clown.

The Joker had appeared.

"Hello dear," His voice cackled. "It's time you come home with me." He reached out to grab her arm to pull her to her feet.

"NO!" She shrieked, letting out a yell that didn't sound like herself at all as she put her hands in front of her. What happened next surprised both of them. A blast of golden white light shot from her hands at the Joker sending him flying in to the opposite end of the street just as Vivian and Akima were waking up. "Guys... you okay?" She asked.

"Feels like my head was just rammed against a bowlder." Akima rubbed her head tenderly as she stood up.

"Well, that's... kind of what happened?" Blinked Catherine as she helped Akima and Vivian to their feet.

"Now, that was a nasty way to say hello..." The Joker's voice came from the other end of the road as he got back up to his feet.

"Uhmmm... Why is the bad guy attacking US? We didn't do anything to warrant getting killed over." Vivian stared, her blue eyes wide.

"Get behind me." Catherine told her friends, and they did just that as she took a protective stance as the Joker approached once more. She spread her arms out to keep them from getting in harms way.

"Don't be ridiculous, dear child. I'm not after them." The Joker gave his high pitched, manic laugh again. "Just you..." He held up what looked like a ball with a button on top that his thumb hovered over.

"Get going!" Catherine shouted at her friends, who didn't need telling twice. The three ran down the road to get away from the Joker. It wasn't like they had enough power to be able to fight him, and the Bat Man was just a myth. Then again, so was the Joker. But he was pursuing them for a reason they didn't understand. Catherine frowned as she ran between Vivian and Akima. If only she could use her powers, then they wouldn't need to run. But no one knew. Not even her friends. She'd done that to protect them from the truth that she was possibly a mutant, born being able to fly before she could walk or talk and shoot energy bolts from her hands and eyes when the moon was out. She would only use her powers as a last defense, and so long as running worked there was no need.

"Now, now... No need to make this difficult." Smirked the Joker, who suddenly appeared in front of the group on the edge of the street they were currently running on. He still held the black ball in his hand with his finger hovering above the red button.

"What do you want from me?" Asked Catherine, sounding braver than she really felt.

"Only the thing that you've been hiding from... well...EVERYBODY." The Joker took several steps towards the trio, as they took several steps backwards away from him.

"What's he talking about?" Asked Vivian, looking over at Catherine, who's eyes were wide in terror.

"Oh nothing, really..." The Joker pressed on, his dark eyes glinting in malice. "Just the ability to use energy bolts powered by the moon. Light from the moon that can be used to make something as simple as water in to a pleasantly destructive weapon, and if used right, can control the tides of the oceans and flood the world."

"Wow... this guy's thinking out of the box with super power madness." Blinked Akima.

"You see... if any one person or super villain were to harness that power PROPERLY, then they could in time rule the world." The Joker came dangerously close to pressing the button on the black ball he held in his hand when he was only a few paces away from the girls, who's legs seemed unwilling to move.

At that moment, something came whizzing through the air, causing the ball in his hand to fly out and burst against the wall on the other side of the street before splitting open by what looked like the Batman's signature weapon, a black Shuriken in the shape of bat's wings stuck in the wall. What appeared to be green gas exploded from the ball.

The girls blinked when a tall, black cloaked figure jumped down from apparently nowhere in front of them.

"That's as far as you go, Joker." Came the dark voice from the figure.

"Dude..." Blinked Akima as the Batman stood up.

What happened next Catherine would find hard to believe, even years later. They watched as the Batman fought with the Joker, who seemed to have an array of weapons apart from that black ball of sleeping gas, or whatever it had been. Until finally with several of the black Shuriken from Batman, the Joker finally vanished.

"Watch your backs, because I'll be back!" The Joker's high laugh echoed on the thoroughly damaged and now broken down street.

The girls stared when Batman turned to face them at last.

"Thank you." Blinked Catherine finally.

"You should be more careful." Said Batman, looking particularly at her. "I've noticed you've been rather careless."

Catherine felt slighted.

"Well excuse me for trying to live a normal life like the rest of my classmates." She said, her eyes flashing gold for a second.

Akima and Vivian looked at each other.

"The thing is, you're anything BUT normal, Catherine." He looked down at her, not at all bothered by her apparent temper. "It's time you accepted who you are. And do something about it. These attacks on you are only going to get worse as time goes on. I'm sure that if the Joker knows about your power, then so do the other bad guys of this city."

"I know it's the wrong time to be star struck... but dude... the Batman is lecturing her!" Vivian whispered so only Akima could hear. And Akima couldn't help but giggle madly at that thought, earning a glare from Catherine.

"If you don't believe me, wait around a few more months to see what happens." Batman took several steps back as Catherine looked at the ground in a foul mood now. She blinked as Batman jumped in to the sky, vanishing at the top of a nearby sky scraper.

Catherine chose to stay as long as she could. But time showed that Batman was indeed right about the attacks getting worse. Soon not only did she get attacked by the Penguin, who tried using his umbrellas filled with the knock-out gas at school, when it was full of classmates, but the Joker reappeared six months after his first attack in the streets. This time it was late at night, after a football game and in the chaos of screaming teenagers, he managed to succeed in capturing her. On this day she chose to wore a purple skirt with purple dress shoes, white knee length socks, a black t-shirt with the right arm cut off, a purple tank top over the shirt, and a gold arm band on her right upper arm. Around her waist was a gold belt with amethyst stones set into gold. She also wore brown gloves. When she finally woke, she found she was in a dark room tied to a chair.

When her eyes came in to focus, she realized that there were shadows of what looked like giant stuffed animals and a huge jack-in-the-box right in front of her. She blinked at it, bemused.

"Crap." She muttered. After glancing around, she saw the moon was full and out. A golden yellow light appeared behind the chair around her hands, and her eyes glowed the same color before she broke herself free. Standing up, she rubbed her wrists. She let out a yell when quite suddenly, the jack-in-the-box popped open, with the giant head flinging at her. She directed her fists right at the face of the overgrown children's toy.

"Let's not get hasty, little girl." The Joker's voice filled the room as a sphere of golden energy appeared around her raised fists.

"I'll show you hasty." She grumbled, sending a blast at the jack-in-the-box, efficiently and swiftly beheading it. She had to jump in to the air as laser beams came from the giant stuffed polar bear facing her from her left. The chair was destroyed on the spot instead of her. She sent another beam of golden energy at the giant stuffed animal. "Always hated giant stuffed animals." She looked around for a way out, but the room was sealed pretty well except for the single window on each wall towards the ceiling that revealed the moon.

The room lit up from a light that she hadn't created, and she looked up at its source. What looked like a giant fifty-four inch flat screen above, near the top of the north wall. This time, it wasn't the Joker, but someone she'd never met. At least she didn't think so.

He was tall, and looked like he was built from sheer muscle. He wore black and red armor, and a mask over his face. The only thing visible of his face was his eyes, which were crimson red to match his armor. The left side of his mask was crimson, while the right was black. His chest plate had the same pattern but reversed, as with the armor on his legs and feet- if those were visible on the screen. The mask he wore hid his face completely, but a long thin black braid hung behind his back to his waist. Four vertical lines on his mask where his mouth should be represented breathing holes, and his eyes were highlighted with a black line on the red side of the mask around the eye, and a crimson line around the eye on the black side of the mask.

"Welcome, dear child." His crimson eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Been a long time."

"Who are you?" She asked, flying up to be eye to eye with the group.

"Let's just say... I haven't seen you since your birth." Came the deep, throaty voice of the man. "A friend of yours here in Gotham City was so kind as to inform me that you were here."

Her eyes turned golden yellow in a spurt of rage.

"What do you want with me? SPEAK." She ordered, her hands clenching in to fists.

"Let's just say, something from you that can enable me to control the oceans of this world." Replied the man.

She let out a yell of rage as she directed the palm of her hands at the screen, sending a blast of energy right at it causing the television to explode when it came in contact with the attack.

"How's that for a no?" She asked, looking around the room that was no only lit by the moonlight shining in through the windows.

There was an explosion from the wall, sending the toys and giant stuffed animals flying everywhere. She looked down at the source and saw the familiar black cloaked figure walking through.

"I heard there was trouble. Let's get you out of here." Said Batman.

Luna turned to fly over to the exit, but she was met by several laser beams zooming towards her forcing her to fly even faster, swerving and twirling on the spot to avoid being struck. She found a sort of pleasure in seeing the stuffed toys blow up or burn to ash upon contact with the lasers from their fellows. She landed in front of Batman, looking back to see the damage with a hidden relish at the sight.

"Are you done yet? We need to get out of here." Batman asked.

"Right, sorry. How did you find me by the way?" Catherine looked up at the figure as she floated alongside him a foot above the air. It was easier to reserve her strength this way.

"I heard the explosion just outside your school and followed the source here. I wasn't sure at first if you were really inside until I saw smoke coming from the ventilators." Batman explained as they moved down the hall. "I noticed you weren't with your friends when they fled the school, as well and figured then that the Joker or someone else might be behind the attack."

Catherine blinked at Batman in surprise at his quick analysis. Then again, she always went everywhere with Akima and Vivian. So that should have been a no brainer to anyone who knew the trio.

Batman led her to the roof of the building without farther incident, where he showed her something else. He pointed at the south end of Gotham City where the signs of yet another explosion could be seen in the distance, with smoke rising in to the already smog filled air above the city.

"Is that...?" She blinked. That was the direction of her home.

"You'd better go quick, I'll be right behind you." Batman looked at her.

She was already flying as fast as she could through the city. She didn't think that whoever the man on the screen was would attack her family, if her hunch was correct. When she landed on her street, she stared in shock.

Her home was a burning inferno, pieces of it collapsing in on itself. The man she'd seen on the screen in the room was standing in front of it, only she crimson red of his armor and eyes visible because of the intensity of the flames casting the shadows on him.

"What... have you done?" She asked, barely able to talk.

"I've made a point, dear child. It's time you've stopped living your fantasy as a normal human being and accept that you are anything but normal." The man turned around, holding two bodies by the collars of the shirt, one in each hand. She only noticed them as he turned to look at her. "Not even the Batman can keep you from that fact."

"Who do you think you are? Destroying innocent people's lives like this?" Her hands were shaking in her rage as she stared at him even when she balled them in to fists. "Let my parents go." She demanded.

"I am Navare. Your worst nightmare, Miss Luna Starr... Or would you prefer Catherine Torean?" He walked over the now burning grass and tossed the bodies of her parents in her direction.

She stared when they landed on the road, flying over to their sides, kneeling down to touch them.

"Mom? Dad?" She said tentatively, looking at them. A lump formed in her throat as she stared. Their bodies were so blackened and burned from the flames, she could barely recognize them as her parents. It was a miracle their clothes had managed to stay on the bodies. Parts of their limbs were burned and bleeding, revealing bits of bone and cartilage. She stumbled backwards when she saw their faces.

"Awe... poor child." Navare's deep voice was mocking her as she stared long and hard at the bodies.

Only the sound of the Bat-mobile pulling up to the scene brought her out of her trance-like state. When she stood up, her eyes were golden yellow again, her hands clenched in to fists with the golden spheres glowing around them.

"You... Monster." Was all she could get out before sending her most powerful attack at Navare. A giant pillar of light shooting vertically at him from her fists once she held them at arm's length in front of herself, chest high. Two beams of golden light came from her eyes at that same moment, combining with the larger from her hands.

Batman walked up to her side, watching the light encompass him. She stayed like that for several minutes before she lowered her hands, the pillar vanishing, and her eyes returning to normal. Only to see Navare still standing there. Only now, he had a weapon in his hands that had blocked the attack. It was a giant, dual ended scythe with large curved blades the shape of Japanese fans, or giant saw blades. The handle of the weapon was black and extended beyond his height to a point where he had to hold it at an angle. Crimson stones at each hilt gleamed in the flames of the burning building behind him, and his eyes shone with malice at her. His thin braid flapped around in the night wind of Gotham City.

"That wasn't very nice, dear child." He said, the sarcasm in his voice with every syllable. "Now it's my turn..." He raised the scythe high in to the air as Batman moved quickly to get in between the two, bringing up his arms to block the scythe as it came down on him with his arms crossed above his head.

Batman twisted his hands around to grab the scythe, but it was pulled away from him with lightning speed as Navare realized what he was about to do.

"So what happened to the Joker being in charge of this operation?" He asked Navare as he sent several of his bat-wing shaped Shuriken at the man.

"Oh? He was never in charge of anything really... we just struck a temporary truce. I'd never want to work with someone so childish anyways." Said Navare, blocking the Shuriken with his scythe. "Besides... I like to work solo most of all." He jumped back, closer to the burning inferno behind him. "Let's light up Gotham City tonight!" He exclaimed, raising the scythe.

Batman and Catherine braced themselves for what was to come.

Navare started spinning the giant scythe as easily as though it were made of feather. Slowly a line of fire seemed to flow from the building, turning the scythe in to what looked like a spinning frisbee on fire. He lowered the burning scythe to his right side before stopping it quite abruptly. In a split second, a disc of fire was flung at Batman and Catherine. The two only just managed to dodge it, but they turned watching the damage it caused.

The disc of fire made contact with the building behind them, another home that was currently empty due to its owners being out late at night. This building was consumed by fire and imploded on itself. Batman shielded his face from the debris of the collapse with his cloak while Catherine brought up a shield of what looked like pure light around herself when her eyes glowed golden yellow. She blinked when Batman took advantage of the moment, running at Navare who had been watching their reactions.

She stared as Batman threw several punches at Navare, who dodged most, and blocked the rest with his scythe. He sent several kicks Navare's way, forcing Navare to swipe the scythe down at Batman. Catherine threw a volleyball shaped sphere of golden energy at the scythe, throwing Navare off his tracks at the double attack allowing Batman to succeed in kicking him in the side of his face.

Navare grew tired of the two rather quickly, having only one real target. He jumped well away from Batman, who immediately began running at him. Raising his scythe high up in to the sky, straight up, he brought it back down. The blade smashing in to the cement of the road he now stood on. The road seemed to rip apart upon coming in contact with the scythe, with bits and chunks of cement tearing up from the ground as a crevice formed. The force of the attack sent Catherine flying backwards when she was knocked off her feet.

Batman was more graceful than she was when it came to the unexpected, and pulled out a single black bat-wing shaped Shuriken from his arsenal, throwing it at Navare's face. The sharp end made contact with the crimson side of the mask, splitting it at an angle from the bottom left of the eye to the top right.

Navare let out a few choice words to Batman, pulling back, holding his left hand over his eye while the scythe vanished as blood poured down the side of his face. Without a word, he slid in to the dark shadows created by the burning buildings and vanished.

Catherine shook her head as she stood up from the spot where she'd fallen. There was a moment of silence as they stood there, before Batman turned to face her.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked her.

"I don't know... leave the city I guess." She replied. "The only thing is, I don't have anywhere else to go. Mom and Dad were my only family, and now..." She paused, looking at the mangled and destroyed forms that were once her loved ones.

"What about your friends?"

"They'll be safer if I'm not here, right? Just because I attract all kinds of trouble doesn't mean they have to risk themselves just to be with me." She said, finally tearing her eyes away from the sight.

"Is that really the right choice for you to make?"

"Like it or not... Navare was right... I've got to stop pretending to be something I'm not. I'll only be endangering people if I stay. My power can't fall in to the wrong hands... right? I don't know where I'll go, but I'll find some place and live there." She said, her mind made up.

"Robin lives to the south in Jump City. He and the Teen Titans can help you if you can make it there." Batman suggested.

Catherine blinked.

"Thanks for all of your help, Batman." She said.

"What should the press know if you're not discovered here?" Batman told her. "They'll wonder what happened."

"Tell them Catherine Torean died with her parents." She replied as she walked down the street. "I'm leaving everything, including that name behind."

She lifted from the ground, and was soon high above Gotham City. She only looked back when the city was well in the distance. She hovered for a while in the cool, night air, the full moon halfway up to the center of the sky blanketing her in moonlight as she gave a silent farewell to her friends, and the family she lost. She hoped the city Batman told her about would provide a better future for her in the end.


	2. Chapter 1

**Act One: **

**The Shadow of Doubt **

Luna made her way to the city that Batman had told her Robin and his friends dwelled in. As she migrated down south, she stopped at various cities and towns that dotted the country along the way helping them and earning a reputation as a wandering heroine. She hoped in some way it would help make up for what her selfishness had caused. She earned money by fighting off the villains that plagued little towns and other cities that did not have protectors, getting used to the power which she so often pretended she didn't have. It took her at least a month to grow used to them, being accepted for the abilities that she had. The acceptance was something of a surprise to her, how the people so readily liked her and let her help them when they saw what she was using her powers for.

She had enough money by the time she reached Jump City that she was able to eat on her own for at least a month. But it was when she arrived, that things sped up once again for her. She was just about at the city limits when she saw an armored figure standing on the ground, obviously waiting for something. Her curiosity peeked, and she landed in front of him. When she got closer, she saw it wasn't Navare, but someone else she didn't recognize.

"Hello, Luna. I've heard a lot about you." Slade said once she landed.

"And who are you? Since you already know my name." Luna stared at the man. While she reminded her of Navare, there was something different about the man as he walked up to her.

"Call me Slade." He replied simply. "I'll ask you this once... come with me, Luna, and I will help you use your powers properly." He held out a hand for her to take.

"Sorry, but mom taught me never to go with strangers." She took several steps backwards.

"I heard you don't have a mother." Retorted Slade with a touch of impatience in his voice.

She blinked at him.

"Have I touched a nerve?" He asked casually.

"All right Titans, lunch is ready!" Cyborg announced from the kitchen as the group gathered. "One large five cheese pizza is ready for eating."

The group all converged on the Pizza. It had been a relatively unexciting day in their city, so they spent the morning either catching up on their video gams, listening to music, or reading. In Starfire's case, she was in her rooms until lunch time came. When she got her slice, she pulled out a container of mustard and started squirting it all over the slice.

"Man today's been great!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Played four hours of video games-"

"During which I kicked your butt-" Cyborg interjected.

"Spent two hours in the gym-"

"During which I also kicked your butt-" Once again Cyborg had his say.

"And now the king of all foods... one large five cheese pizza... nothing can spoil it!" Beast Boy continued as though he didn't hear Cyborg.

At that moment, the alarms of Titan Tower blared, just as Beast Boy was about to take his first bite.

"You just had to say something, didn't you?" Asked Cyborg as Robin went to the main computer. "So what's the prob?"

On the screen appeared a girl, running towards the tower being chased by someone. Robin zoomed in on the person chasing her, and his eyes went wide.

"Slade." He said simply.

"Looks like the old bird's back." Cyborg blinked. "No offense, Raven." He added.

"None taken." She replied.

"Let's move out, Titans. Whoever she is, she obviously needs our help." Robin turned on the spot, and the others followed.

Luna had made it to the city, and was running along the rocks. She could see the Titan's tower coming ever closer as she ran, figuring running might throw him off instead of the flying she had gotten used to. Instead, she heard footsteps behind her as he was quickly catching up to her.

Slade gave a mighty jump in to the air, and flipped around as he landed in front of her, blocking her path.

"You're not going anywhere, dear girl." He said simply as she skidded to a halt.

"That's what you think... I may not be able to use my powers to their full ability, but I can use them enough to stop you." She retorted, bringing up her hands as she balled them in to fists.

"We'll see about that." Muttered Slade, lunging forward.

She blocked several of his punches before she brought her leg up to kick him in the sides, which he avoided. He reacted with a punch to her side, sending her flying in to the rocks nearby with a loud crash.

"Now, Luna... You're coming home with me." Slade walked over, having ended the fight rather quickly.

Green energy spheres crashed in to the ground in front of him, forcing Slade to jump back a few paces.

"Ah, my old friends." Slade said as he turned.

Luna blinked, trying to get rid of the headache she had from slamming in to the rocks so hard. She saw Robin, the person Batman had referenced to, and four others.

"Titans, Go!" Robin declared.

The group lunged forward, and Slade was forced to turn around and face them. He blocked Robin's own Shuriken attack, jumped out of the way from Starfire and Raven's energy blasts, before looking at Robin.

"You don't have any powers this time, Slade." Robin said, pulling out his staff.

"Who says I need powers, Robin?" Retorted Slade as Robin jumped in to the air, bringing down the staff on Slade, who blocked the attack with one of his armored arms held up. He grabbed the staff firmly with his hand before flinging it above and over his head, forcing Robin to go with it. He slammed Robin in to the ground before letting go of the staff as Cyborg came from behind, apparently hoping to catch Slade off his guard. But Slade used his other fist and slammed it in to Cyborg's chest, sending him in to a boulder several yards away as Starfire came from above, sending a pillar of green light at him. He was barely able to escape from the attack.

"Azarath Metrion ZENTHOS." Raven chanted from her spot, raising her hands, directing her palms at the two largest boulders. They were encased in darkness before rising in the air and being flung at Slade, who stared right at the rocks.

Slade's single visible eye narrowed before he aimed his fists at the boulders, splitting them apart at the last second and sending shards of shrapnel in every direction.

Luna blinked, staring at the fierce battle as Beast Boy transformed into a T-Rex among the confusion with the shrapnel going everywhere, running at Slade.

"Down boy." Muttered Slade, once again waiting for the last second before jumping out of the way causing the T-rex to slam his head in to a giant boulder in the shape of a rather large-looking wall.

"Dude..." The T-rex turned back in to a very dizzy looking Beast Boy who was currently rubbing his head.

"That's why you need to look before you leap." Cyborg commented.

"If we're all done here now..." Slade said, his impatience a little higher in his voice now. "I've got business that needs to be taken care of."

Luna stood up as Robin and his friends regrouped and prepared for another wave of attacks.

"I told you already, I'm not going anywhere with you." She looked up at the sky. Only half an hour left until the moon was up. Even though it was still daylight, the moon would often be in the sky early or at odd hours during this time of year. If the fight lasted that long, then she could really be of help to Robin and his friends.

"You don't really have a choice in the matter, dear girl." Slade said, before running at her.

She braced herself, glad that she was still physically strong and capable of holding her own. The blow to her head earlier may have dazed her, but she was fine now. She blinked as Slade made to punch her square in the face, and she grabbed his fist with her hand. His eye went a little large for a moment before he sent his other fist at her, which she also blocked with the same reaction, but with her other hand. The two were at a deadlock for several moments.

There was the sound of cannon blast as a blue beam of energy from Cyborg's sonic cannon fired at Slade from behind and Starfire shot her green energy blast at him at the same time. Luna jumped in to the air as he was forced to spin around to block the attack from getting to his head. She hovered in the air for several moments, blinking. She did have one power that didn't necessarily need the power of the moon. She figured out long ago that she could manipulate light particles in water to a point where she could control water and get it to do whatever she wanted because of the light particles. Though she certainly packed a more powerful punch when the moon was out. She wasn't entirely useless, at least she hoped as she landed near the shoreline.

"Hey Slade, if you can't take no for an answer, how about this instead?" She asked, causing the group to look over at her as she closed her eyes, gathering the light particles in the water. Slowly the water crept up from the ocean around her feet before forming a pool. She opened her eyes, and when she did the water roared up around her in the form of an spinning pillar as she raised her right hand, directing its palm at Slade.

The pillar acted like a snake made of water in the air, shooting towards Slade who jumped and swerved to avoid the attack as she twisted and turned her right hand to control the movements of the light particles in the water pillar. It was tricky enough without the moon in the sky. Slade moved closer to her with each movement of the water pillar, not being able to hit back since it would only waste his strength to hit something with the consistency of water. Seconds after the attack started, he came face to face with Luna, who stared wide-eyed at him as his fist made contact with her face, sending her flying to the left several meters before she stopped.

Starfire rose to attack Slade next, sending her green energy blast at his back. Slade turned to look at the group.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you it's rude to attack anyone when they've got their backs turned to you?" He asked.

"You have no right to lecture us, Slade." Robin stated, getting in to the fighting position with his staff once again. "Are you going to tell us what you're doing back or are we going to have to beat the answer out of you?"

"My reasons for being back are quite simple really..." Slade glanced at the girl. "When I heard she was headed here to seek for your help, I decided to give her a welcoming party. After a bit of digging, I discovered the powerhouse that was within her yet to be tapped in to."

"And for the hundredth time, I'm telling you N to the freaking NO." Luna stood up, shaking her head like a wounded dog this time while rubbing her face where he struck her. "I heard a lot about you in Gotham City while I lived there. Your attacks on this city didn't go unnoticed by the world, Slade."

"Then my reputation precedes me." Replied Slade.

"Dude... did she just say Gotham City?" Blinked Cyborg.

"I think she did." Agreed Beast Boy.

"This reunion has really been quite touching, Titans." Slade turned to them. "But if I'm ever going to get anywhere with this, I need to finish our discussion and this confrontation."

"Fine by us." Robin tensed before giving the order. "Titans, now!"

Raven raised her hands the same moment Starfire did, and the two sent a combined attack at Slade while Cyborg started running at the man. Robin jumped in to the air with his staff ready to slam down on Slade. The moment Slade jumped out of the way of Raven and Starfire's attacks, Robin brought down his staff on Slade's head. Slade raised his right arm to block the attack as Cyborg slammed his fist in to the side of his face.

"Booyah." Cyborg smirked as Slade stumbled backwards.

A moment later a green tiger came running up, raising a giant paw and scratching at Slade's chest plate. Slade let out a pained yell before grabbing at his chest as he stumbled back.

"By the way, Slade..." Luna landed in front of him after having witnessed the Teen Titans managing to fend off Slade on their own. She brought up her right hand, balled it in to a fist, and slammed it in to the side of his face without holding any of her strength back. "An eye for an eye, you jerk!"

Slade stood up after being knocked down. He looked at the group long and hard before stepping back.

"Just a warning to you Luna, I'd watch your back if I were you." He said before he turned.

Robin ran after Slade when he saw that he was going to get away, but he was too late. Somehow Slade had managed to run and vanish in the blink of an eye.

Luna blinked, looking up at the sky. The moon was just barely peeking out over the horizon. She didn't even need to use her full powers this time around.

"Thanks for the help." She said, looking at Robin, then turning to the others.

"You said you were from Gotham City," Said Robin, looking at her. "What brings you all the way out here?"

There was a pause.

"Let's just say life in Gotham City isn't all it's cracked up to be." Luna finally replied.

"Well, if there's anything you need help with, just let us know ok?" Robin walked over to rejoin his group. "I'm Robin, and these are my friends. Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy. We're the Teen Titans."

"And I'm Luna. Luna Starr." Smiled Luna. "Batman told me about you, that you were in this city."

"He did, did he?" Robin's voice had a hint of surprise, while the others stared at her.

"Yeah, he said you and your friends might be able to help me." She nodded. "As you can see, I tend to attract a lot of unwanted attention."

"Well, so does this whole city for some reason we'll never understand." Cyborg put in.

"If there is any way in which we can assist, just let us know." Starfire said.

"I'll do that. And again, thanks for your help earlier." Smiled Luna before turning.

"What are you going to do now?" Asked Robin.

"Find some place to eat, because Slade interrupted my lunch plans earlier." Said Luna.

"That reminds me... Slade interrupted our lunch plans too!" Beast Boy exclaimed suddenly.

"Sure, blame it on the bad guy." Cyborg muttered.

"I can, and I will." Retorted Beast Boy.

Luna blinked at the group. She was torn between amusement and embarrassment at how they behaved around each other when they were certain that trouble had passed.

"We'll, I'll be off then." She waved before taking to the sky.

"Let's get back inside, I've got a slice of pizza with my name on it!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Don't you ever think about anything besides food?" Asked Raven as they headed back in to their Tower.

Luna found a pizza parlor, and pulled out her wallet. She ordered her favorite pizza in any town- a small, mozzarella stuffed crust canadian bacon and pineapple pizza with extra cheese. She took a spot outside overlooking the ocean with Titans Tower to the right in the distance from where she sat.

She didn't notice a tall young man with middle-of-the-back length black hair, and ultramarine blue eyes blinking in her direction as she looked out at the ocean. He wore a blue shirt, black jacket, black jean pants, and black shoes. His name was James Basilio, and he lived in the city just as the Teen Titans did. He'd just witnessed the fight between the girl and Slade, then watched as the Teen Titans joined in on the fray. He took the last bite of his pizza slice before rising and walking over to her table.

Luna blinked when a shadow came over her table, and looked at its source to see a rather tall young man smiling at her.

"Hi, I'm James." The man said. "I've never seen you around here, where you from?" He asked her, holding out a hand to shake hers in greeting. When she didn't take his in return, he blinked, withdrawing it.

"Gotham City." She told him simply. "I just got here."

"I see. I've been here about a year and a half myself." Smiled James. "Mind if I join you?"

"Yes, I do mind." She said as the waitress with her order came over with the tray that held her pizza on it in her hands.

James stared at her rudeness, but shrugged it off. Maybe she just didn't want to draw attention to herself, or she was waiting for someone. He figured there had to be some reason behind this, so he wasn't offended in the least bit. He went back to his table and ordered desert- a small order of cinnamon bread sticks- and watched her the rest of the time she sat at her table. He went about his day as he normally would have, having established himself as a restauranteur and martial artist, he went to check on his restaurant- a traditional Italian restaurant using his father's name, Arrigo.

When the evening came, and he shut down the restaurant for the night, he blinked when he saw Luna walking the streets. He shrugged, going to his apartment. It was a simple, one bedroom, one bath with a living room, small dining area, and kitchen. He had a couple of cats for company- one a large male orange tabby with light orange lines, and the other a smaller, grey tabby with black and white lines that made her look like she was half raccoon because of the lines on her tail and face. The two were siblings, and he named the male Nebit, and the female Diana. There were several tall cat post trees by his balcony window.

His living room had a simple dark green couch against the south wall with a large flat screen television on the exact opposite wall. There was a tall book case on either side of the wall mounted television, and below the television was a simple but wide movie case with many DVDs. On top of the DVD case was his DVD player, satellite television receptor, sound system and what looked like the latest in video game technology- the Game Station XL.3. His walls were painted a forest green, while the carpet on his floor was emerald. The dining room was to the right with a round table for three people to sit at. And to the south to the dining room was the kitchen, which was large and open with granite counter tops, black stainless steel appliances and a black faucet. There was a closet to the left of the dining table, which would reveal the washer and dryer if opened. To the left of the couch was a set of large sliding glass doors, that opened up to a large balcony that had a view of the city and the Titans Tower.

He decided that night since the next day was his day off from work, to pull an all night patrol of the city. He made sure to feed his cats before going to his room. He knew the Teen Titans usually were asleep by this time unless a serious emergency came around, so he went to his closet in his room and pulled out what looked like a super hero costume, which was what it was.

It was a single piece black suit that fitted to his body, black knee high boots trimmed at the top with ultramarine blue, black elbow high gloves trimmed with blue, a mask over his eyes much like Robin's, but with single blue vertical stripes on the center of either eye, a black cloak with ultramarine blue triangles trimmed with yellow gold at the bottom, and a yellow-gold utility belt around his waist. The belt buckle was black with a blue N in the center. His cloak was held around his neck with what was a Teen Titans communicator. He was an honorary member of the Teen Titans after helping the group out a number of times when he first arrived in the city. His Teen Titan name was Night Stalker.

Stepping on to the balcony now fully dressed as Night Stalker, he looked out before closing and locking the doors. He put the key in one of his pockets, before turning back. It was a windy night, sending his cloak flapping around when he jumped up on to the railing of the balcony, then off it entirely. His cloak spread out as he jumped, then hovered before flying off through the city. Night was falling fast today, and since the moon had come out early, it was already on the other side of the sky.

He blended in to the dark rather well, but gave an unseen blink behind his mask when he noticed a now familiar girl sitting alone on a black park bench. He landed nearby behind a tree to watch her.

Luna was watching the moon go down with baited breath, like watching the climax of a science fiction movie. She wondered if her enemies already knew that she was at her strongest when the moon was in the sky, so that was why they attacked her when it wasn't. Blinking, she turned her head around to look behind her. She'd heard someone's feet on the ground. Rising from the bench, she looked at the tree Night Stalker hid behind.

"Why don't you come on out, whoever you are? I know you're there." She asked, balling her hands in to fists just in case.

Night Stalker stepped out from behind his hiding spot, with his hands raised as though he were saying he surrendered.

"Ok, you caught me." He said.

She was surprised when she recognized his voice.

"James?" She blinked quizzically. Next thing she knew, he had his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Quiet, you want to go shouting my real name everywhere?" He hissed, surprised how quickly she came to recognizing who he was just by his voice. "When you see me in this outfit call me Night Stalker, got it?"

She put her hands on her hips, one of her eyebrows raised in interest. But she nodded in the end, and he removed his hand from her mouth.

"So why the super-hero getup?" She asked him.

"Isn't it obvious?" He pointed at the Teen Titan's communicator.

"So you're an honorary member?" She looked at the communicator that pinned his cloak around his shoulders.

"Yup." He drew himself up proudly.

"What about you? Why are you here in this city?" Night Stalker asked her. He wanted to know more about her, while he thought she was a pretty young lady, he still wanted to get to know her properly, maybe be her friend. He knew how hard it was to fit in in a new city, and he wanted to help her adjust any way he could.

She looked at him for a long moment.

"Let's just say I needed a fresh start." She said.

"So is Luna your real name?" He looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Is Night Stalker your real name?" She retorted.

"Touche, touche." He shrugged. "Well, I'll let you be since you seem to be doing pretty well on your own. Let me know if you need anything. You can always find me at the restaurant Arrigo during the day."

"Should I look for the guy with the bed sheet for a cape, or the guy with the black hair like a hippy?" She asked him.

He stared at her for a moment before chuckling, a deep throated chuckle that was good and healthy.

"Preferably the hippy guy." He said before giving her a wave and flying off. He found her sarcasm and humor amusing.

Luna watched him leave before turning back and looking at the ocean. She didn't have anywhere to stay, but it wasn't like she wasn't a novice at camping. So she found a place by the beach, underneath a large willow tree. She was glad to at least have enough money to eat at restaurants and fast food places for a while. She fell asleep rather quickly after the long day she had with all the excitement and then some.


End file.
